Fandom: Primeval
Characters: Abby/Becker/Connor
Story: Caregiver (1/2)
Rating: PG-13 (this part; part two is the usual porn)
Warnings/Spoilers: Spoilers for 4x04. Angst. Aaaaaaaaangst.
Author's Note: I’m gonna be completely honest about this: This entire fic is just to make me feel better because they're all drowning in angst right now in canon. *squishes them*
Summary: The walking wounded need some healing
Caregiver, Part One
The first thing Becker saw as he rose out of his delirium was Connor’s face. Hovering over, his expression a mask of worry, he lit up when he noticed Becker’s eyes fluttering open.
“Becks?” He chirped anxiously. “Are you back with us?” He stroked back a stray lock of hair from the fevered brow.
“I… I think so,” he croaked dryly. His head felt like a herd of brachiosaurs had gone stampeding through.
“Here.” The medic to his left spoke up, handing him a bottle of water. He drank gratefully, and tried to sit up.
“Where am I? Are the creatures…?” He asked anxiously, looking around.
“All back where they belong.” Connor smiled warmly at him. “Matt and the backup team just got them through. And you’re in the infirmary at the school. We’re going to get you back to the ARC and properly stitched up as soon as you’re up to moving a little.”
The door to the infirmary cracked open, and Matt stuck his head in. “Did I hear—Heya.” He grinned at Becker. “Nice to see you coming round. Would’ve hated losing you. I still have more hell to put you through, after all.”
Becker smiled and started to say something sarcastic. Then his head went wonky again. Looking up at Connor, he mumbled, “I’m sorry!” Then he turned to the side, emptying his guts onto the floor.
“Oh.” Connor said, squirming back from him.
“Connor, you should come with me.” Matt gestured to him. “We need to debrief the students anyway.”
With one last gentle pet of Becker’s arm he got up. “I’ll see you back at the ARC, hey?”
Becker nodded. And vomited again.
***
Connor had been excited when he finally returned, babbling on about how the day had, on balance, been a shining personal success. But after he spoke with Abby, his attitude changed. He grew quiet, and shuffled aimlessly around the corridors as he finished up the last bits of the day’s work.
As Becker completed his own reports, he watched Connor's restless pacing, wondering if he should ask. Eventually, however, exhaustion took over, and he started preparing to head home for the night. Hefting a backpack, he groaned in pain.
Connor, hovering near the door to the car park, heard him. “Hey? You a’ight?”
“I’m fine. Just need to get myself together and get home. Try to sleep the rest of this off, maybe.”
“Sure you’re OK to drive?” Connor frowned at him.
“Yeah.” He took a few steps toward the door, grimacing and trying not to cry out.
Connor stopped him. “No. You’re not OK. Let me drive you home?”
Becker started to protest but then sighed heavily, rubbing a hand across his face. Not meeting Connor’s eyes, he finally nodded.
“Good. Let’s go gather up Abby and we’ll get you properly taken care of. Get some takeaway. Maybe a movie, yeah?” He ducked under Becker’s arm, letting his body be used as a crutch.
The ride there was quiet enough that he fell asleep.
***
The spicy curry (Abby’s choice) did a great deal to lift his spirits and keep him awake. The dreadful film (Connor’s choice) kept him awake, too, but only because he kept cringing every time a line landed like a brick.
He was comfortable, all things considered, sat on the sofa with Abby curled up under one arm, nuzzling her head into his chest, and his other hand entwined with Connor’s. Yet something didn’t quite feel right.
He thought maybe it was just the meds he was on—making everything feel slow and fuzzy around the edges—but as the evening wore on, he began to realize what was off: Abby and Connor, while interacting politely, and chattering with him, had kept their distance from each other.
Taking a chance, he finally spoke. “We missed you on the mission today, Abby.” He stroked a hand over her hair. “What happened?”
She squirmed a little, throwing a glance in Connor’s direction. He looked away.
“Burton happened.” She said flatly.
Connor huffed indignantly, but said nothing.
“What?” Becker looked between the two of them.
“Burton tried to have the menagerie shut down today. He wanted to euthanize all the creatures. Even Rex." Her voice grew bitter. "I suppose you probably wouldn’t understand.” She nodded in Connor's direction. “He didn’t.”
“Abby! That’s not fair!” Connor piped up, letting go of Becker’s hand and sitting up straight. “You know I love Rex. I just… I didn’t think you were being fair to Philip.”
“Fair to him? Are you mental?” She moved away from them both, edging into the corner of the sofa and crossing her arms over her chest.
Connor rolled his eyes. “Abby. You’re acting like he’s some sort of evil monster or something. He’s not. He’s… he’s a good guy. He just thinks in really practical terms, that’s all.”
She made a face at him. “Let’s be honest, Connor, your ability to judge people isn’t exactly well-honed, you know. One word: Caroline.”
He flinched as if he’d been struck. Before he could protest, she continued. “If it hadn’t been for you trusting her, Stephen would probably still be alive.”
Connor gaped in shock, his eyes starting to well up.
Finally, Becker had had enough. “That’s it.” He sat up, wincing as his clothes dragged at his bandaged wound. “This is getting ridiculous.” Turning, he glared at her. “What on earth would make you say something like that? Do I have to remind you of a conversation we had a long time ago? About your ability to understand him?”
She went quiet, and began chewing her lip.
He turned to Connor. “And as for you.. I know Burton better than both of you, and while I respect him, I have to say: I don’t completely trust him.” Connor opened his mouth to argue. Becker silenced him with a finger to his lips. “All I’m saying is be careful, OK? And the next time something like this happens, you need to be brave enough to stand up for her.”
Connor flushed, and closed his mouth.
Becker stood up. “Now, if you two will excuse me, I need a lie down. Let yourselves out.” Grumbling, he limped into his bedroom.
He tried to read for a while, but the voices still echoing from the the other room took his focus. He didn’t hear many specifics, mostly just changes in tone: anger, frustration, hurt. Then a little sobbing—Connor, he thought. Finally, there was silence. For a moment, he thought maybe they had left, but then he heard a gentle knock at his door.
“Becker? Your light’s still on. Are you still awake?” Abby’s voice was soft.
“Yes. Come in.” He lay the book down on his bedside table and rolled over to face the door.
They both strolled in, eyes a little red and wet, heads hung down. But they were close, he noticed, and when Connor put his arm around Abby’s waist, she moved into the touch.
“We just wanted to say we’re sorry for all that.” Connor’s voice was still ragged. “We didn’t… We shouldn’t drag you into this.”
Becker frowned. “I don’t feel dragged into it, Connor. I just… You know I care about you both. I don’t like seeing either of you hurt—especially if the other one is causing it.”
“I know.” Abby sighed softly. “Truth is, I have a bigger apology to make to you, too.” She sat down on the bed next to him and petted his arm. “Connor reminded me that it wasn’t just Rex we almost lost today. I'm so used to you being this sort of... Superman or something... that I forget how much you put yourself at risk for us every day.”
He shrugged, trying to put on a brave face. “Oh, I was fine. Just a little nick. Nothing big.” He looked up, seeing Connor’s incredulous expression. “OK, I guess it was kind of touch and go there for a moment.”
Connor knelt on the floor in front of him. “Damned right it was. You’re not allowed to do that, you know. You don’t get to die on us. We need you.”
“We do,” Abby smiled. “And for a lot more than just saving our arses in the field, too.”
“We came here tonight to take care of you, and we kind of failed in that. Can we make it up to you?” Connor reached a gentle hand to his face, stroking his cheek.
Becker closed his eyes. The touches felt nice, and went a long way toward distracting him from the still-burning pain permeating his leg. He was tired, and briefly considered asking them to just let him sleep, but under their caresses, parts of him, at least, began to wake up.
To answer the question, he took Connor’s hand and brought the palm to his lips.
Continued in Part Two...
Characters: Abby/Becker/Connor
Story: Caregiver (1/2)
Rating: PG-13 (this part; part two is the usual porn)
Warnings/Spoilers: Spoilers for 4x04. Angst. Aaaaaaaaangst.
Author's Note: I’m gonna be completely honest about this: This entire fic is just to make me feel better because they're all drowning in angst right now in canon. *squishes them*
Summary: The walking wounded need some healing
Caregiver, Part One
The first thing Becker saw as he rose out of his delirium was Connor’s face. Hovering over, his expression a mask of worry, he lit up when he noticed Becker’s eyes fluttering open.
“Becks?” He chirped anxiously. “Are you back with us?” He stroked back a stray lock of hair from the fevered brow.
“I… I think so,” he croaked dryly. His head felt like a herd of brachiosaurs had gone stampeding through.
“Here.” The medic to his left spoke up, handing him a bottle of water. He drank gratefully, and tried to sit up.
“Where am I? Are the creatures…?” He asked anxiously, looking around.
“All back where they belong.” Connor smiled warmly at him. “Matt and the backup team just got them through. And you’re in the infirmary at the school. We’re going to get you back to the ARC and properly stitched up as soon as you’re up to moving a little.”
The door to the infirmary cracked open, and Matt stuck his head in. “Did I hear—Heya.” He grinned at Becker. “Nice to see you coming round. Would’ve hated losing you. I still have more hell to put you through, after all.”
Becker smiled and started to say something sarcastic. Then his head went wonky again. Looking up at Connor, he mumbled, “I’m sorry!” Then he turned to the side, emptying his guts onto the floor.
“Oh.” Connor said, squirming back from him.
“Connor, you should come with me.” Matt gestured to him. “We need to debrief the students anyway.”
With one last gentle pet of Becker’s arm he got up. “I’ll see you back at the ARC, hey?”
Becker nodded. And vomited again.
***
Connor had been excited when he finally returned, babbling on about how the day had, on balance, been a shining personal success. But after he spoke with Abby, his attitude changed. He grew quiet, and shuffled aimlessly around the corridors as he finished up the last bits of the day’s work.
As Becker completed his own reports, he watched Connor's restless pacing, wondering if he should ask. Eventually, however, exhaustion took over, and he started preparing to head home for the night. Hefting a backpack, he groaned in pain.
Connor, hovering near the door to the car park, heard him. “Hey? You a’ight?”
“I’m fine. Just need to get myself together and get home. Try to sleep the rest of this off, maybe.”
“Sure you’re OK to drive?” Connor frowned at him.
“Yeah.” He took a few steps toward the door, grimacing and trying not to cry out.
Connor stopped him. “No. You’re not OK. Let me drive you home?”
Becker started to protest but then sighed heavily, rubbing a hand across his face. Not meeting Connor’s eyes, he finally nodded.
“Good. Let’s go gather up Abby and we’ll get you properly taken care of. Get some takeaway. Maybe a movie, yeah?” He ducked under Becker’s arm, letting his body be used as a crutch.
The ride there was quiet enough that he fell asleep.
***
The spicy curry (Abby’s choice) did a great deal to lift his spirits and keep him awake. The dreadful film (Connor’s choice) kept him awake, too, but only because he kept cringing every time a line landed like a brick.
He was comfortable, all things considered, sat on the sofa with Abby curled up under one arm, nuzzling her head into his chest, and his other hand entwined with Connor’s. Yet something didn’t quite feel right.
He thought maybe it was just the meds he was on—making everything feel slow and fuzzy around the edges—but as the evening wore on, he began to realize what was off: Abby and Connor, while interacting politely, and chattering with him, had kept their distance from each other.
Taking a chance, he finally spoke. “We missed you on the mission today, Abby.” He stroked a hand over her hair. “What happened?”
She squirmed a little, throwing a glance in Connor’s direction. He looked away.
“Burton happened.” She said flatly.
Connor huffed indignantly, but said nothing.
“What?” Becker looked between the two of them.
“Burton tried to have the menagerie shut down today. He wanted to euthanize all the creatures. Even Rex." Her voice grew bitter. "I suppose you probably wouldn’t understand.” She nodded in Connor's direction. “He didn’t.”
“Abby! That’s not fair!” Connor piped up, letting go of Becker’s hand and sitting up straight. “You know I love Rex. I just… I didn’t think you were being fair to Philip.”
“Fair to him? Are you mental?” She moved away from them both, edging into the corner of the sofa and crossing her arms over her chest.
Connor rolled his eyes. “Abby. You’re acting like he’s some sort of evil monster or something. He’s not. He’s… he’s a good guy. He just thinks in really practical terms, that’s all.”
She made a face at him. “Let’s be honest, Connor, your ability to judge people isn’t exactly well-honed, you know. One word: Caroline.”
He flinched as if he’d been struck. Before he could protest, she continued. “If it hadn’t been for you trusting her, Stephen would probably still be alive.”
Connor gaped in shock, his eyes starting to well up.
Finally, Becker had had enough. “That’s it.” He sat up, wincing as his clothes dragged at his bandaged wound. “This is getting ridiculous.” Turning, he glared at her. “What on earth would make you say something like that? Do I have to remind you of a conversation we had a long time ago? About your ability to understand him?”
She went quiet, and began chewing her lip.
He turned to Connor. “And as for you.. I know Burton better than both of you, and while I respect him, I have to say: I don’t completely trust him.” Connor opened his mouth to argue. Becker silenced him with a finger to his lips. “All I’m saying is be careful, OK? And the next time something like this happens, you need to be brave enough to stand up for her.”
Connor flushed, and closed his mouth.
Becker stood up. “Now, if you two will excuse me, I need a lie down. Let yourselves out.” Grumbling, he limped into his bedroom.
He tried to read for a while, but the voices still echoing from the the other room took his focus. He didn’t hear many specifics, mostly just changes in tone: anger, frustration, hurt. Then a little sobbing—Connor, he thought. Finally, there was silence. For a moment, he thought maybe they had left, but then he heard a gentle knock at his door.
“Becker? Your light’s still on. Are you still awake?” Abby’s voice was soft.
“Yes. Come in.” He lay the book down on his bedside table and rolled over to face the door.
They both strolled in, eyes a little red and wet, heads hung down. But they were close, he noticed, and when Connor put his arm around Abby’s waist, she moved into the touch.
“We just wanted to say we’re sorry for all that.” Connor’s voice was still ragged. “We didn’t… We shouldn’t drag you into this.”
Becker frowned. “I don’t feel dragged into it, Connor. I just… You know I care about you both. I don’t like seeing either of you hurt—especially if the other one is causing it.”
“I know.” Abby sighed softly. “Truth is, I have a bigger apology to make to you, too.” She sat down on the bed next to him and petted his arm. “Connor reminded me that it wasn’t just Rex we almost lost today. I'm so used to you being this sort of... Superman or something... that I forget how much you put yourself at risk for us every day.”
He shrugged, trying to put on a brave face. “Oh, I was fine. Just a little nick. Nothing big.” He looked up, seeing Connor’s incredulous expression. “OK, I guess it was kind of touch and go there for a moment.”
Connor knelt on the floor in front of him. “Damned right it was. You’re not allowed to do that, you know. You don’t get to die on us. We need you.”
“We do,” Abby smiled. “And for a lot more than just saving our arses in the field, too.”
“We came here tonight to take care of you, and we kind of failed in that. Can we make it up to you?” Connor reached a gentle hand to his face, stroking his cheek.
Becker closed his eyes. The touches felt nice, and went a long way toward distracting him from the still-burning pain permeating his leg. He was tired, and briefly considered asking them to just let him sleep, but under their caresses, parts of him, at least, began to wake up.
To answer the question, he took Connor’s hand and brought the palm to his lips.
Continued in Part Two...